JP4222003B2 - Clean room cassette positioning device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cassette positioning device for a clean room that can easily position a cassette in a clean room and prevent dust generation.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a cassette for storing a thin substrate such as a semiconductor is conveyed from an AGV (automatic conveyance vehicle) or the like to a cassette station of each process apparatus by a semiconductor or liquid crystal process. Then, the cassette carried into the cassette station is positioned at a predetermined position in order to transfer the thin substrate by the robot.
[0003]
In the conventional cassette positioning device, a support member that separately supports the four corners of the bottom surface of the cassette is provided on the upper portion of the base whose tilt can be adjusted, and the support member is erected on each support member so as to abut on the peripheral surface portion of the cassette. Some of them have a guide member that regulates the horizontal position of the cassette (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
[0004]
In addition, two bases that receive cassettes are arranged at intervals, each base is slidably supported by four roller bases, and the cassette placed on the base is pressed against a stopper by a clamper and positioned. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2).
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-9-148423 [Patent Document 2]
JP-A-8-321541 [0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, since the cassette is slidably contacted with the guide member to regulate the horizontal position of the cassette, dust is generated between the cassette and the guide member due to the sliding of the cassette. In other words, it was originally not suitable for semiconductor work performed in a clean room.
[0007]
In Patent Document 2, the gantry is slidably supported by the roller pedestal, and the positioning of the cassette in the front / rear, left / right, and rotational directions is performed by pressing the stopper against the stopper. However, there is a problem that dust is generated due to the contact of the table, and dust is also generated by repeated contact between the clamper and the stopper. In the case of a large cassette having a large weight, the generation of dust is further increased by increasing the contact force. There is a problem to do.
[0008]
An object of the present invention is to provide a cassette positioning device for a clean room which can easily position the cassette in the clean room and prevent dust from being generated.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The invention according to claim 1 is a cassette positioning device for receiving and positioning a cassette conveyed in a clean room, and is suspended in a horizontal direction by a suspension member that can swing from a fixed member. A suspension frame, a dust-proof cover that hermetically surrounds the suspension material, a guide roller that positions the suspension frame with respect to a cassette that is placed and placed on the outer top of the suspension frame, and a lower surface of the suspension frame. A positioning boss having a positioning hole, a positioning drive device that is provided on the fixing member and moves the positioning pin up and down to fit in and out of the positioning hole of the positioning boss, and an opening through which the positioning pin passes. And a cassette cover for a clean room characterized by comprising a suction cover surrounding the positioning drive device and connected to the suction device. It is intended.
[0010]
The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the guide roller is a pair of orthogonal rollers arranged at the four corners of the suspension frame and guiding two surfaces of the corner portion of the cassette. The present invention relates to a clean room cassette positioning device.
[0011]
The invention according to claim 3 relates to the cassette positioning device for a clean room according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the guide roller is made of a non-dust-generating material.
[0012]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the cleanroom cassette positioning device according to the first aspect, wherein the positioning driving device having the positioning pin and the positioning boss are installed in at least two locations. It is.
[0013]
The present invention operates as follows.
[0014]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, a suspension frame suspended in a swingable manner in a horizontal direction by a suspension member that can swing from a fixed member, and a cassette that is placed and placed on the outside upper portion of the suspension frame. Since the guide roller for positioning the suspension frame is provided, when the cassette is placed close to the suspension frame, even if the cassette and the suspension frame are misaligned, the suspension frame with respect to the cassette is guided by the guide roller. Swings and is positioned. Subsequently, when the cassette load is passed to the suspension frame, the suspension frame is suspended by the suspension material so as to be swingable, and thus is automatically aligned and positioned by the position of the center of gravity. Therefore, since it can position without applying a big force between a cassette and a guide roller at this time, the problem which dust generate | occur | produces can be prevented.
[0015]
Subsequently, the positioning frame is raised by the positioning driving device provided on the fixing member and fitted into the positioning hole of the positioning boss provided on the lower surface of the suspension frame, so that the suspension frame and the cassette are positioned at the correct positions. Work such as delivery of a thin substrate of a cassette by a robot can be reliably performed.
[0016]
The suspension material is surrounded by a dustproof cover, and the positioning pin and the positioning drive device are surrounded by a suction cover and sucked by the suction device, so that the dust from the contact portion is scattered in the clean room. Can be reliably prevented.
[0017]
In the second aspect of the present invention, since the guide roller is a pair of orthogonal rollers arranged at the four corners of the suspension frame and guiding the two surfaces of the corner portion of the cassette, the cassette can be accurately positioned with a simple configuration. Can be.
[0018]
In the invention described in claim 3, since the guide roller is made of a non-dust-generating material, dust generation from the guide roller in contact with the cassette can be prevented.
[0019]
In the invention according to the fourth aspect, since the positioning drive device having the positioning pins and the positioning bosses are installed in at least two places, it is possible to accurately determine the installation of the front and rear, the left and right, and the rotation direction of the cassette.
[0020]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0021]
1 is a front view showing the overall configuration of the cassette positioning device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1 viewed from the II-II direction, and FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 1 viewed from the III-III direction. . In FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, four rack columns 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d are erected on the floor so as to have a rectangular arrangement in plan view, between the rack columns 1a, 1c on the left side and on the right side. A base frame 2 extending in the front-rear direction is integrally fixed to each required height position between the rack pillars 1b and 1d. Further, four fixed masts 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d having a required height are erected on the platform frame 2 at a position spaced from the front and rear ends at a required distance so as to form a rectangular shape in plan view. Has been. The mast reinforcement 4 is used to integrally form the front fixed masts 3a and 3b and the rear fixed masts 3c and 3d, and the left fixed masts 3a and 3c and the right fixed masts 3b and 3d. It is fixed. The rack pillars 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, the base frame 2, the fixed masts 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d and the mast reinforcement 4 constitute a fixing member 5.
[0022]
A horizontal member 6 extending forward is fixed to upper ends of the front fixed masts 3a and 3b, and a horizontal member 6 extending rearward is fixed to upper ends of the rear fixed masts 3c and 3d. 6, a swingable suspension member 7 is attached. A suspension frame 8 is suspended by the four suspension members 7 so as to be swingable in the horizontal direction.
[0023]
The suspension frame 8 is required from the left and right ends of the front and rear elongated frames 9a and 9b formed long in the left and right direction so that the left and right ends are positioned below the horizontal member 6, and the front and rear elongated frames 9a and 9b. The connecting member 10 for connecting the inner positions to each other by a distance of the distance, and the auxiliary member 11 on the upper part of the connecting member 10 and the upper ends of the elongated frames 9a and 9b, and the lower part of the horizontal member 6 are three-dimensionally assembled. Four overhanging support portions 12 are provided. The suspension frame 8 is formed by the elongated frames 9a and 9b and the overhanging support portion 12 so that the front shape shown in FIG. Further, a cassette receiving plate 14 made of stainless steel or the like extending in the front-rear direction is fixed between the upper part of the left auxiliary frame 11 and the upper part of the right auxiliary frame 11.
[0024]
Guide rollers 16 for positioning the cassette 15 placed on the cassette receiving plate 14 are provided on the auxiliary frame 11 of each overhanging support portion 12 as shown in FIGS. The cassette 15 is positioned by the four guide rollers 16. The guide roller 16 includes a pair of rollers 16 a and 16 b which are orthogonal to each other so as to guide two surfaces of the corner portion of the cassette 15. The cassette 15 placed on the cassette receiving plate 14 of the suspension frame 8 from above is guided within the error range S by the peripheral surface of the guide roller 16. At this time, the suspension frame 8 is shaken horizontally by the suspension material 7. Since it is supported so as to be movable, the suspension frame 8 is positioned following the cassette 15 by the guide roller 16, and the cassette 15 is placed on the cassette receiving plate 14. The guide roller 16 is made of a non-dust-generating material made of a resin such as UPE (ultra high molecular weight polyethylene), MC nylon, Teflon (registered trademark), or the like, which hardly generates dust by contact with the cassette 15.
[0025]
As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, the suspension member 7 is formed on the auxiliary frame 11 of the overhanging support portion 12 provided on the suspension frame 8 and the opening 18 formed in the horizontal member 6 by the suspension rod 17. The fixed head 19 is provided at the upper end of the suspension rod 17, and the fixed head is mounted on the spherical washer 21 provided on the horizontal member 6 via the fixed base 20. 19 is placed. A fixing nut 22 is provided at the lower end of the suspension rod 17, and a spherical washer 24 provided on the lower surface of the auxiliary frame 11 of the suspension frame 8 via a fixing base 23 is supported by the fixing nut 22. Yes. Therefore, the suspension rod 17 suspends the suspension frame 8 through the spherical washers 21 and 24 so as to be swingable in the horizontal direction.
[0026]
On the horizontal member 6, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a dust-proof cover 25 surrounding the outer periphery of the spherical washer 21 and the fixed head 19 is fixed with bolts 26. Further, a dust-proof cover 27 surrounding the spherical washer 24 and the fixing nut 22 is disposed on the lower surface of the auxiliary frame 11 of the suspension frame 8 as shown in FIGS. It is fixed.
[0027]
Fixed cylinders 29a and 29b are provided on the lower surface of the horizontal member 6 through which the suspension rod 17 passes and the upper surface of the auxiliary frame 11, and a flexible space is provided between the outer peripheral surfaces of the fixed cylinders 29a and 29b. A dust-proof cover 30 made of a natural hose or bellows is fixed by a fixing band 31 or the like.
[0028]
A positioning boss 33 having a vertical positioning hole 32 is fixed to each lower surface position of the overhanging support portion 12 of the suspension frame 8 as shown in FIGS. Further, the left and right mast reinforcing members 4 in the fixing member 5 are provided with an extension portion 4 ′ extended further forward and backward from the fixing masts 3 a, 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, and the positioning drive device 34 is provided in the extension portion 4 ′. Is installed. The positioning drive device 34 is configured so that the positioning pin 36 positioned below the positioning hole 32 of the positioning boss 33 is moved up and down by the drive cylinder 35 so that the positioning pin 36 is fitted in and removed from the positioning hole 32 of the positioning boss 33. ing. Further, an opening 37 through which the positioning pin 36 passes is provided at an upper portion, and a suction cover 38 is provided to surround the positioning pin 36 and the positioning drive device 34. The suction cover 38 is connected to a suction device 39 so as to suck the inside of the suction cover 38. In the figure, reference numeral 40 denotes a positioning bolt for positioning the positioning drive device 34 in the left-right direction. The positioning boss 33 described above may also be made of a non-dust-generating material made of a resin such as UPE (ultra high molecular weight polyethylene), MC nylon, Teflon (registered trademark), or the like, which is difficult to generate dust due to contact with the positioning pins 36. Good.
[0029]
In the example of FIGS. 1 to 3, the positioning drive device 34 having the positioning pins 36 and the positioning bosses 33 are shown at four positions. It is sufficient to install two or more places.
[0030]
The operation of the above embodiment will be described below.
[0031]
As described above, the suspension frame 8 is suspended from the fixed masts 3 a, 3 b, 3 c, and 3 d of the fixing member 5 so as to be swingable in the horizontal direction by the suspension member 7, and Since the guide roller 16 for positioning the suspension frame 8 with respect to the cassette 15 to be placed is provided at a location, the cassette 15 and the suspension frame 8 are placed when the cassette 15 is suspended and placed on the suspension frame 8. Even if there is a misalignment, the suspension frame 8 swings and is positioned relative to the cassette 15 by the guidance of the guide roller 16. Subsequently, when the load of the cassette 15 is transferred to the suspension frame 8, the suspension frame 8 is suspended by the suspension member 7 so as to be swingable. Therefore, since the positioning can be performed without applying a large force between the cassette 15 and the guide roller 16 at this time, the problem of dust generation can be prevented.
[0032]
Subsequently, when the positioning pin 36 is raised by the positioning driving device 34 provided on the fixing member 5 and fitted into the positioning hole 32 of the positioning boss 33 provided on the lower surface of the hanging frame 8, the hanging frame 8 and the cassette 15 are accurately It is positioned at the correct position. As a result, operations such as delivery of the thin substrate of the cassette 15 by the robot can be reliably performed.
[0033]
The suspension member 7 is surrounded by dustproof covers 25, 27, 30, the positioning pin 36 and the positioning drive device 34 are surrounded by a suction cover 38, and the inside of the suction cover 38 is sucked by a suction device 39. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the problem that dust from the contact portion is scattered in the clean room.
[0034]
Further, since the guide rollers 16 are arranged at the four corners of the suspension frame 8 and are orthogonal roller pairs 16a and 16b for guiding two corners of the cassette 15, the cassette 15 can be positioned with a simple configuration. Can be performed accurately. Furthermore, since the guide roller 16 is made of a non-dust generating material, dust generation from the guide roller 16 in contact with the cassette 15 is prevented.
[0035]
Furthermore, since the positioning drive device 34 having the positioning pin 36 and the positioning boss 33 are installed at least at two places, the installation determination of the front and rear, the left and right, and the rotation direction of the cassette 15 can be performed accurately.
[0036]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The shape of the fixing member and the suspension frame can be changed variously. The installation positions of the positioning drive device and the positioning boss can be changed variously. Of course, it can be changed to a tapered guide or the like, and various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
[0037]
【The invention's effect】
The present invention has the following effects.
[0038]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, a hanging frame suspended in a swingable manner in a horizontal direction by a suspension member that can swing from a fixed member, and a cassette that is placed and placed on the outer upper portion of the hanging frame. The guide roller for positioning the suspension frame with respect to the cassette, when the cassette is placed close to the suspension frame, the guide roller guides the cassette even if the cassette and the suspension frame are misaligned. The suspension frame swings and is positioned. Subsequently, when the cassette load is passed to the suspension frame, the suspension frame is suspended by the suspension material so as to be swingable, and thus is automatically aligned and positioned by the position of the center of gravity. Therefore, since it can position without applying a big force between a cassette and a guide roller at this time, there exists an effect which can prevent the problem which dust generate | occur | produces.
[0039]
Subsequently, the positioning frame is raised by the positioning driving device provided on the fixing member and fitted into the positioning hole of the positioning boss provided on the lower surface of the suspension frame, so that the suspension frame and the cassette are positioned at the correct positions. There is an effect that the operation such as delivery of the thin substrate of the cassette by the robot can be reliably performed.
[0040]
The suspension material is surrounded by a dustproof cover, and the positioning pin and the positioning drive device are surrounded by a suction cover and sucked by the suction device, so that the dust from the contact portion is scattered in the clean room. There is an effect that can be surely prevented.
[0041]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the guide rollers are a pair of orthogonal rollers arranged at the four corners of the suspension frame and guiding the two corners of the cassette, the cassette can be positioned with a simple configuration. There is an effect that can accurately
[0042]
According to the invention described in claim 3, since the guide roller is made of a non-dust-generating material, there is an effect that dust generation from the guide roller in contact with the cassette can be prevented.
[0043]
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the positioning driving device having the positioning pins and the positioning bosses are installed in at least two places, there is an effect that the installation determination of the front and rear, the left and right, and the rotation direction of the cassette can be accurately performed. .
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view showing the overall configuration of a cassette positioning device of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1 viewed from the II-II direction.
FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 1 viewed from the III-III direction.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a suspension member in the cassette positioning device of the present invention.
5 is a VV direction arrow view of FIG. 4;
6 is a view taken in the direction of the arrow VI-VI in FIG. 4;
FIG. 7 is an enlarged plan view of a guide roller in the cassette positioning device of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a front view of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged front view showing a configuration example of a positioning drive device and a positioning boss in the cassette positioning device of the present invention.
10 is a view taken in the direction of arrows XX in FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
3a, 3b, 3c, 3d Fixed mast (fixed member)
5 Fixing member 7 Suspension material 8 Suspension frame 15 Cassette 16 Guide roller 16a, 16b Roller pair 25 Dust-proof cover 27 Dust-proof cover 30 Dust-proof cover 32 Positioning hole 33 Positioning boss 34 Positioning drive device 36 Positioning pin 37 Opening 38 Suction cover 39 Suction device

Claims (4)

A cassette positioning apparatus for receiving and positioning a cassette transported in a clean room, wherein a suspension frame suspended in a horizontal direction by a suspension member that can swing from a fixed member, and the suspension member A dust-proof cover that hermetically surrounds, a guide roller that positions the suspension frame with respect to a cassette that is placed and placed on the outside upper portion of the suspension frame, and a positioning boss that has a positioning hole provided on the lower surface of the suspension frame; A positioning drive device that is provided on the fixing member and moves the positioning pin up and down to fit in and out of the positioning hole of the positioning boss, and an opening through which the positioning pin passes to surround the positioning pin and the positioning drive device, A clean room cassette positioning device comprising: a suction cover connected thereto. 2. The cassette positioning device for a clean room according to claim 1, wherein the guide rollers are a pair of orthogonal rollers arranged at four corners of a suspension frame and guiding two surfaces of a corner portion of the cassette. The cassette positioning device for a clean room according to claim 1, wherein the guide roller is made of a non-dusting material. 2. The cassette positioning device for a clean room according to claim 1, wherein the positioning driving device having the positioning pins and the positioning boss are installed in at least two places.

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